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Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are known worldwide for their hospitality. Making your own way to (and through) Newfoundland and Labrador is sometimes exactly what’s called for, but if you’re interested in travelling here without having to worry about the details, there are many package tour operators that take care of arrangements for you.

CapeRace Cultural Adventures and Ocean Quest Adventures are just two of many tour operators that let you truly experience and explore the majestic beauty of our province, our rich culture and heritage and, maybe even, our ocean floors.

We’ve travelled to the Twillingate area on several occasions to see icebergs, go whale watching and explore with our sea kayaks.

But recently we got a phone call from Fred Bridger, who has been helping to develop hiking trails in the Twillingate area for the past few years.

“If you like coastal hiking you can’t do much better than these trails,” he said over the phone.

“The trails pass by sea stacks, sea cliffs and we even have some osprey and eagles that nest in the area. At this time of year you won’t see any icebergs but you can nibble on blueberries if you like, since the trails go through some fine berry patches.”

This was all we needed, and Fred offered to act as our guide for a couple of days.

It was really just another business day – a Tuesday – and I had the usual workplan. Go to a location, shoot videos, take photos and return home. Okay, maybe not as usual as I am letting on. I was about to travel abroad...to McCallum, a unique little isolated community on the south coast of Newfoundland that's only accessible by ferry. What makes this community so unique? Other than the ferry being your only means of getting to the town, travel within the community is essentially by foot on a series of boardwalks!

It was 11:30 a.m. when my friend and I caught the small passenger ferry from Hermitage bound for a place neither of us had ever been, but had always hoped to someday visit. After filling two seats with luggage and getting settled away in the lounge, the ferry began to move away from the dock. I was out on deck with my camera faster than you can say "Adventure Central Newfoundland"! After taking numerous pictures and videos of the passing scenery and the billowing waves crashing against the side of the vessel, I put away the camera, leaned against the side railings and peacefully watched the water for the rest of the trip.

There’s a vacation and then there’s an experience; and the differences in the two couldn’t be more important. You can book a plane ticket to a famous destination and wait in line for your token photo of the same crowded attraction, or you can have an experience. Central Newfoundland provides the latter. Real adventurers seek out places long past the beaten path, and slip into the experience like a warm bath. They linger, soak up the destination, and immerse themselves in people, place, culture and nature. This is no cookie-cutter destination. This is Central Newfoundland - real, raw, rugged and wholly authentic. It calls to the adventurer because he knows that the greatest rewards are at the end of the longest path.

An experience is not the “wow” of a well-treaded tourist trap. It is the sum of sights, sounds, smells, adventures and interactions; a million tiny moments melded into something that leaves an indelible mark on your spirit and memory.

“Five days of hiking the East Coast Trail transformed us into proselytizing zealots. Now we're the ones eagerly asking, ‘Have you hiked the East Coast Trail?’ hoping for an opportunity to tell all about it.” Forget the West Coast Trail, travel writers Craig and Kathy Copeland discover that when it comes to big Canadian hiking adventures, Newfoundland’s east coast is the place to go.

Mistaken Point is a remarkable place. A beautiful, rocky headland at the tip of the Avalon Peninsula bearing the fossilized remnants of ancient creatures more than half a billion years old. Etched onto two shelves of stone, these cryptic messages from the distant past were once primitive animals living at the bottom of the ocean. The volcanic ash that killed them, also preserved them

This Vancouver Sun article talks about a recently discovered cemetery in Cupids, NL, which is thought to be the oldest English burial ground in Canada. We also happen to have the oldest burial site in all of North America, located at L'Anse Amour, Labrador. It dates back 7,500 years — 3,000 years before the pyramids of Egypt.

Is the greatest pirate of all time from NL? Newfoundland and Labrador's infamous pirate, Peter Easton, who plundered foreign ships sailing the Atlantic Ocean in the early 17th century, may well be the most notorious pirate of all time. CTV's W5 went diving for evidence off the coast of Conception Bay, NL.

The November issue of National Geographic Traveler Magazine rated the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador at the very top of 99 coastal tourism destinations in the world, beating out popular seaside travel spots in Wales, New Zealand, Hawaii, Italy, Australia and other provinces within Canada.

The magazine said that Newfoundland and Labrador has struck the right balance in developing its tourism industry without destroying what makes it unique, and noted it has welcomed the economic benefits of a strong offshore oil and natural gas industry while maintaining its "stunning natural and cultural integrity". The article also noted the unspoiled scenery, revitalization of waterfronts, rural communities, coastal hiking trails, colourful birdlife and seafaring heritage as among the components which make the Avalon Peninsula "one of the best-kept tourism secrets."

“It was the gun that helped England secure its first foothold in the future Canada four centuries ago…” A 400-year-old archeological find in North America's oldest colony, Cupids, NL, has got historians excited. Check out this Vancouver Sun article about discovering the 17th-century remains of the actual cannon site that helped England secure its first claim within what would become Canada.

Fogo Island, already rich in culture and history, is in the middle of a creative evolution. This article in design magazine Azure features a dramatic feat of architecture that will have artists clamouring to tap into their Fogo muse.

"Hooked. On architecture. That’s what you’ll be feeling after the Fogo Island Arts colony is done with you." An article about the astonishingly creative architecture of the new Fogo Island resort and artist in residency development.

The five editors from Trailpeak.com who were exploring NL recently have completed their coast-to-coast 10-day adventure. Trailpeak.com is a website highlighting the best hiking, mountain biking, climbing, kayaking, canoeing, skiing, and snowshoeing trails in North America. Read all about their NL escapades, complete with links to trail info and maps.

The love keeps pouring in for St. John's and NL. This travel feature appeared in Britain's widely read Daily Mail newspaper. It highlights some of the similarities between Newfoundlanders and their friends across the pond... most notably, an affinity for the longest running TV soap in the world...

Not that we ever stopped 'rockin,' but this Globe and Mail feature talks about something St. John's residents have known for a long time: our city is cutting edge when it comes to music, art, fashion, dining out and even doing business. St. John's rocks and it's the place to be!

This feature in WestJet's Up! magazine whimsically explores the charming and scenic fishing village, Quidi Vidi, which flanks the base of Signal Hill, just a five-minute drive away from downtown St. John's... "The village is a little sheltered corner of the east coast, with a glimpse of the Atlantic Ocean from inside the gut..."

The Land of Spirits: This Globe and Mail feature is all about Canada’s newest national park — Torngat Mountains National Park in Labrador. From polar bear sightings to ice bergs, all seen within one of the last untouched wilderness areas in the world, the experience was clearly an unforgettable one for the writer.

“I quickly had to change from my telephoto lens to a regular lens since the whales were so close.” One of the best things to do when you visit NL is go whale watching. This telegram article documents five different boat tours in stunningly scenic western Newfoundland, it’s worth a read!

“When a humpback whale surfaces, then dives, not four metres from my kayak, I'm terrified, then delighted.” Read this colourful account of one Toronto Sun journalist’s trip to Newfoundland and Labrador, including a close encounter with our local giants of the deep and some adorable puffins.